“Do you have any idea where she might be?”
“My first suggestion would be one of her safe places.”
He looked around. “I know about the one in the house. Are their others?”
“I’m not sure.” She went out onto the porch. “Grace! Where are you?”
It was already getting dark. Together they walked to the lambing nursery. Grace wasn’t there but Owen noticed one of the lambs was missing. “She’s taken one of Polkadot’s lambs.”
Sarah went to the door and began shouting, “Grace, answer me!”
Owen walked over and opened the cabinet under the sink. It was empty. It was then that he noticed two of the drawers beside the refrigerator had been opened partway. He checked the countertop and sure enough, there was a small footprint with the toes pointing toward the refrigerator. Relief made his knees weak. “Come out wherever you are, Grace. It is safe now.”
The door of the cabinet above the refrigerator opened a crack. He glimpsed four tiny fingers clutching the panel.
The outside door opened, and Ruth rushed in. “I heard you shouting for Grace. Is everything okay?”
Her eyes were red and puffy. He wanted to kick himself for making her cry. He took a step back. “Okay, come down. That is an excellent hiding place, but I don’t ever want you taking the lambs up there. We don’t want Ruth mad at both of us.”
The door opened wider and a lamb hopped onto the top of the refrigerator. It looked over the edge and seemed prepared to jump but Owen caught it and handed it to Sarah, who looked as relieved as he was.
Sarah shook a finger at Grace. “Do you know how much trouble you would be in if one of these lambs gets hurt?”
Grace crawled out carefully. “A lot?”
Owen held up his arms to the child. “I’m very disappointed in you.”
“But I found a good safe place.” She allowed Owen to lift her off the top of the refrigerator.
Sarah put the sheep back in the warming box and closed the lid. “That’s a pretty weird game unless you just wanna do nothing for an hour.”
Ruth took Grace from Owen’s arms. “You shouldn’t scare us like that.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry, too,” Owen said quietly.
Ruth gave a deep sigh. “I forgive both of you.”
Meeka began barking ferociously outside. It wasn’t her coyote-warning bark. It was her this-is-serious-business bark. Owen took a flashlight from their stock in the drawer. “I’d better go see what’s wrong.”
He heard a loud thud followed by a pain-filled yelp from Meeka and then silence. He looked at the women and the child waiting for him to tell them what was going on.
“You in the barn. Send out the kid, and nobody’s gonna get hurt.”
Ruth stepped close to Owen and grabbed his arm. “Who do you think it is?”
“I think it’s Grace’s father.”
“What do we do?” Sarah asked.
He thought for a second. There was only one way out of the nursery. They were trapped. “Do you have your cell phone?”
Sarah shook her head. “It’s in the house.” She looked around and then up. “Owen, help me get out of the skylight. I think I can cross over the top of the barn and stay out of sight.”
“I’m waiting! I’m not a patient man. Send out my daughter,” the intruder shouted.
Owen picked up Grace and set her on the countertop. “Go to the safe place.”
She jumped to the top of the fridge and disappeared into the cabinet. Ruth used her apron to wipe away her footprints.
Owen looked at Ruth. “Where is the ladder to open the skylight?”
“Faron keeps it in his workshop.”
Owen tried to judge the distance. He piled two milk crates on top of each other and stepped up. “Sarah, climb onto my shoulders. When you get out the window be quiet. We don’t want him to know that something is going on.”
Ruth walked toward the door. “Sir, I’m coming out so that we may speak face-to-face. We Amish are pacifists. I am no danger to you.”
“That ain’t a good idea, sister.”
Sarah gave a nervous giggle as she climbed up Owen’s back. He steadied her. “Are you okay?”
“Sure. This isn’t the first time I’ve done this. I’ll fill you in later.”
“We don’t know who your child is,” Ruth shouted.
“Don’t give me that. I read about the woman and kid found out here. I know she’s staying with you. I saw her go in the barn just a little bit ago. You can’t keep me away from my kid!” The man’s voice was growing increasingly angry.
Owen heard a slight grating sound as the window opened. Sarah levered herself off his shoulders and out the opening. He knew she would have to drop from the low side of the barn into the corral. It was at least a ten-foot drop but it was on the opposite side from the man outside.
He moved to stand beside Ruth. “The woman was my sister Rebecca. How do you know her?”
“She was my wife, the lying tramp. I want that girl and I want her now. She’s my daughter and I keep what’s mine. Nobody makes a fool out of me.”
“The child is in a safe place. You cannot harm her.” They needed to stall for time. How long until Sarah got to the house? How long before the sheriff came?
Ruth clutched Owen’s arm. “What are we going to do?”
He looked into her eyes. “‘But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.’ I’m going out to speak with him.”
She drew a deep breath. “It is my faith also. I will go with you.” She took his hand. He wanted to dissuade her, but he knew the choice was hers. He slowly opened the door. If he faced death on the other side, he would not fear it.
He stepped out into the darkness and scanned it for the man who had been talking. He saw only a white bundle of fur on the ground and he knew it was Meeka. He couldn’t tell if she was alive or dead. Nor could he see the man speaking. He and Ruth walked to the dog. There was a bloody gash on her head, but she was breathing.
“Stop right there. Bring the kid out here.”
Owen faced the darkness. “I will not aid you to harm a child. She is an innocent in the eyes of Gott.”
“I’m not going to hurt the little lady. Don’t you Amish have to believe I speak the truth?”
“If you mean no harm, then show yourself,” Ruth said. The intruder stepped out of the shadows with a gun pointed at Owen. He was tall with a shaved head and a long blond mustache. A tattoo of a spiderweb covered the right side of his neck. The barrel of the gun shifted between Owen and Ruth. “Now that you’ve seen my face, this may not have such a happy ending.” He started laughing.
Ruth pressed close to Owen’s side.
“Grace! Grace, honey, come out here and meet your papa or your friends are going to end up like your mama.”
“Are you the one who killed my sister?” Owen heard his voice crack. He needed to be strong.
“I can’t admit to that. I don’t know if you’re wearing a wire and the cops are listening.”
“I am not. I have no connection to the police. If she did die by your hand, I want you to know that I forgive you as I know she would have done.”
“Mighty nice of you, but for someone with no connection to the law you’ve had them crawling all over this place. I didn’t think I’d ever find a way in. But here I am. Patience and planning. That’s what pays off. I wouldn’t let a few country-bumpkin cops keep me from taking what’s mine. Becky tried, but I knew I’d find her sooner or later. Grace? This kind man and his pretty lady will end up like your mama if you don’t come out.”
“Winters, this is Sheriff McIntyre. Drop the gun.”
The man swung his pistol toward the sheriff’s voice and fired twice.
CH
APTER TWENTY-FIVE
RUTH THREW HERSELF into Owen’s embrace and held on tightly. She sobbed as more gunfire erupted and Owen pulled her to the ground. The echoes faded away and the frantic bleating of the sheep filled the night. Sheriff McIntyre and two of his men, including Agent Morgan, climbed the fence of the corral.
Owen searched her face and her arms with trembling fingers. “Are you hurt?”
“I think I’m okay.”
Sheriff McIntyre came up to them as Agent Morgan checked the man on the ground. He gave a slight shake of his head. Ruth knew the man was dead. The sheriff helped them up.
“You gave me a mighty big fright when you walked out of that barn toward a man holding a gun. What possessed you? No, don’t tell me. God was your protection.” Sheriff McIntyre gestured toward the barn. “Let’s step inside. Where is Grace?”
Owen went in and crossed to the refrigerator. He opened the cabinet above it. Grace was huddled inside. “You can come out now, sweetheart.”
“Is the bad man gone?” Her voice trembled and there were streaks of tears down her cheeks. Owen handed her to Ruth, who held her tight and consoled her.
“He will never trouble you again,” the sheriff said.
Owen left Ruth’s side to speak to the sheriff quietly. “How did you get here so fast?”
The sheriff’s grim expression eased. “You have the KBI to thank for that. They’ve staked out the place for the last week. I was on my way to check in with Agent Morgan and his partner when I got the call from Sarah. That is one gutsy gal.”
“Danki, Marty,” Sarah said as she came in. Both Owen and Ruth pulled her into a fierce hug. “Ella would never forgive me if I let something happen to you,” Sarah muttered.
Ruth patted her back. “Of course she would forgive you. You were very brave to escape through that skylight.”
Sarah laughed. “It was a tight fit. I tore my new dress.”
Ruth hugged her. “I’ll make you a new one.”
“I can help,” Grace said.
Sarah kissed her forehead. “I would love that.”
Agent Morgan came inside. “I’m sorry he got by us undetected. He must have come across the pasture, because we were watching the house and the road.”
Sarah drew back and looked at the sheriff. “How did Rebecca get mixed up with a fellow like that?”
“I can answer that,” Morgan said. “Rebecca’s aunt passed away about five years ago. Rebecca took a job in a diner outside Akron. It appears she had left the Amish at that point. They may have met at the diner. We don’t know. Winters had just finished a five-year stretch for assault and robbery. Maybe he was trying to go straight or maybe she thought she could fix him. They were married within a few months. Almost immediately there were reports of domestic violence. After one incident Winters was arrested but Rebecca disappeared before the case went to trial. There were rumors that she went into hiding among the Amish.”
Ruth handed Grace to Sarah. “Why don’t you take her to the house? We’ll be there soon.”
Once they were out of the barn, Ruth turned to Agent Morgan. “Why would he kill her?”
“Revenge. Winters was obsessed with making her pay for getting him tossed back in jail and for hiding his child from him. We really don’t know much else about her movements until you mentioned seeing her in Indiana. After that she apparently went back to her farm in Missouri. According to a neighbor, she would come and go from the farm every few months when she needed money. She worked as a waitress in a number of places but never for long. It seems Winters found her there. She was able to escape in the car he’d stolen but not before he got off a shot. He then stole the neighbor’s pickup and tried to follow her. The storm stopped him. You pretty much know the rest. We believe she was trying to reach you or your uncle.”
Ruth held on to Owen’s hand. “Rebecca must have been afraid of him for a long time. Grace has never known anything but hiding from strangers.”
Owen glanced at Ruth and squeezed her fingers, then looked at the two officers. “We are grateful for your intervention. The Lord used you as His instrument to save us.”
The sheriff’s smile faded. “I’m sorry it turned out this way. I would’ve much rather sent him back to jail.”
“He is facing his maker and answering for all that he has done. That is the true justice,” Ruth said softly.
Owen kept his arm around her as he escorted her back to the house. She leaned into him, never wanting to move away from the comfort he gave. Owen left her side when he entered the kitchen and sat down. Grace crawled onto his lap. “Can we go home now? I want to go to our farm.”
He held her close. “Soon, liebchen, soon.”
Ruth steadied her nerves by performing the mundane tasks of making coffee and getting cinnamon rolls out of the freezer to be warmed up. Doing something always made her feel better.
Sarah started laughing hysterically. Ruth and Owen looked at her in concern. “What’s so funny?” Owen asked.
“Faron,” she croaked and started laughing again. “Faron wanted more excitement in his life. So he went on a fishing trip to Arkansas while down on the dull old farm there was a shoot-out with a criminal. He’s gonna kick himself for weeks that he missed this.”
Ruth looked at Owen and they started chuckling.
A few minutes later the sheriff came in. “My people will have a few questions for you and then we will get out of your hair.”
“But I have cinnamon rolls warming in the oven. You can stay another ten minutes, can’t you?” Ruth asked.
He broke into a wide smile. “For some of your cinnamon rolls, Mrs. Mast, I could stay the week.”
Ruth dished up pastries and hot coffee for all of the men. Agent Rankin, Agent Morgan’s partner, was particularly impressed with her baking skills. “These are the best rolls I’ve ever had.”
“I’m glad you enjoy them.”
“Tell me something. I saw you walk out in front of that killer and I was sure he was going to kill you before we could stop him. Why did you do it?”
“We hoped we could convince him to leave us alone. The Lord was protecting us.”
“I think the sheriff and I were protecting you.”
She chuckled. “How does it feel to be an instrument of the Lord?”
“Scary. What are your plans now, Owen?” the sheriff asked.
“I’m taking Grace home as soon as I can.”
Ruth wasn’t going to beg him to stay. He was still searching for something. She prayed he would find it and know contentment at last.
Don’t go, Owen. You’re breaking my heart. I can see the love in your eyes, but why can’t you say it? Why can’t you tell me? Can’t you see it in mine?
Ruth wanted to run to him and grab onto him like a terrier and shake him until he came to his senses.
She stared at him a long moment, then she rushed out of the room.
* * *
AFTER THE SHERIFF and his men left, Owen took Grace and returned to Ernest’s farm. He continued to wrestle with his decision to leave. As much as he wanted to stay, he knew leaving, while painful, would not be as torturous as remaining. He needed to keep his promise to Grace to take her home. He hadn’t been able to keep his promise to her mother. He hoped by being among Rebecca’s things and talking to people who knew her that he might gain some insight into who his sister had become. In his mind she would always be the little girl crying out for him as she was taken away.
Ernest and Faron returned two days later, in time to help with the last days of lambing. Sarah was right. Faron was fit to be tied that he had missed the excitement of a police shoot-out in exchange for a few black bass. Ernest was soon recounting the tale in the community as if he had been one of the sheep in the warming box while it was all going on.
Following a quick hearing on Monday afternoon Owen was granted full
custody of Grace. He made arrangements to leave two days later.
Faron came over to Ernest’s place to say goodbye before Owen left. Owen couldn’t believe how much the boy was growing to look like his father. “What was the best part of your trip, Faron?”
He blushed. “You’ll laugh.”
“I won’t.”
“Okay, it was fun to get away and see new things, but the best part was coming home. Seeing the green pasture full of sheep and the dark earth waiting for me to plant corn. I might travel again, but it will be a long time before I leave home.”
“Your mother must be thrilled.”
“She says she is, but she’s been crying a lot lately. That isn’t like my mamm. You’re going to stop in before you leave, right?”
“We will.” Owen picked up his duffel bag. He had left Ruth without a word once before. He wouldn’t do it again no matter how painful it would be to say goodbye. He found Grace carefully doctoring the cut on Meeka’s head. She was following the veterinarian’s recommendations to the letter. Meeka wore a long-suffering face while the child wrapped a bandage around her head with a long piece of gauze and lots of tape. Meeka’s gash was healing well thanks to Grace’s tender care.
“I’m taking you home, Grace, to your mother’s farm. Meeka will be fine.”
Grace frowned. “You said Mamm isn’t at home. She’s with Gott.”
“That’s right but I hope to get to know your mother by talking to some of her friends. You want to see them, don’t you?”
“I miss Mr. Clayton. He looks after my pony when we’re gone.”
“Okay, then, are you ready to go?” He held open the car door.
She left the dog and climbed into the backseat of the car he had hired to take them to Columbia.
As they drove into Ruth’s farmyard, she came out of the house to meet them. She avoided looking at Owen and focused her gaze on Grace. “You must be excited to be going home.”
“Sure, but don’t we need to check on all the lambs first?” Grace gazed longingly at the pens.
Ruth pulled her into a tight embrace. “Faron and I will look after the lambs. You look after Owen for me.” Owen heard the catch in her voice and knew he was breaking her heart by taking Grace away.
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